1000 Yen - Heisei Akita

Part of Japan Mint's ongoing 47 Prefectures Coin Program, this issue represents Akita Prefecture — the program itself launched in 2008 as a collector-driven series cycling through all of Japan's administrative regions. The 2011 release date places it squarely in the year of the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, which struck in March and prompted Japan Mint to suspend some operations temporarily, though proof coin production for the prefectural series continued.

Mintage for individual prefectural issues in this series has consistently run near 100,000 pieces, sold exclusively through subscription and lottery allocation rather than open retail — standard secondary market premiums reflect that constrained distribution model.